- The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction?
- Are Muslims Seeing Jesus?
- “Son of God” Translation Controversy
- God’s Plan through the Ages notice
- Supersessionism Rising: Dispensationalism…? Part 2
- Supersessionism Rising: Dispensationalism…? Part 1
- The Greatest Tragedy of the Rapture Prediction
- ABI Ministry Update
- “The Muslim Brotherhood and the Gospel of Christ”
- The Crisis in Egypt
- Saddleback’s Health and Fitness Seminar: An Eyewitness Account
- Rick Warren’s Controversial New Initiative
- ABI 2010 Year-End Report
- Ministry Trip to S. Korea / Philippines
- Where Should We Meet?
- Burning Korans (the right way) notice
- Glenn Beck’s “Black-Robed Regiment”
- ABI Quick Survey: Mark Galli’s CT article
- Christianity Today: God – the “Divine Drama Queen”
- Partnership Opportunities: ABI International
In India with The Agape Puppets
This ABI blog is a bit of a departure from most articles – but it does focus on reaching the lost with the gospel in a unique way.
This blog features an email from a dear friend, Linda Summer, who is the Director of the Agape Puppet ministry. Linda and her team are currently in India and reaching thousands of Hindu children with the gospel of Jesus Christ. As always, she is accompanied by Sam Shaw (from Northern Ireland), who is the Associate Director for the ministry and his wife, Silvana, who is from Brazil.
Linda Summer is a truly amazing servant of the Lord. Despite innumerable health problems, she travels tirelessly around the world with an ever-changing team of young people (in their teens and early twenties) to get the gospel into some of the most remote places and unreached children on the planet. Her travels fairly frequently take her into limited-access countries, from which she can’t even directly reveal their presence or location.
As if the Agape Puppets’ direct ministry to children were not enough, Linda and her team always take hundreds of dollars worth of puppets, sound equipment and ministry supplies to each country in order to train and equip a new group of nationals each trip, so that they can continue reaching children with the gospel in this most effective way.
I first met Linda in India in 2004 while teaching at the Asian Christian Academy seminary, about an hour south of Bangalore. I was deeply impressed by her commitment to the Lord, her skills as a communicator to children, and the effectiveness in getting the gospel to so many children who would otherwise never hear the gospel in their entire lives. Within a few years we were able to have her come to Hungary with a team to teach our Bible School students and staff in the art of puppet ministry – and that time marked the beginning of the Word of Life Hungary Children’s Ministry.
My sense is that the Agape Puppet ministry is perhaps one of the very most effective evangelistic ministries to children in the world today – particularly when it comes to reaching the unreached children.
I encourage you to go to the Agape Puppets website:
You can also write to them to ask to receive Linda’s regular email updates as the Agape Puppets ministry travels around the world:
Note: As you read, you will find that Linda and the team often mention working in Catholic schools, but this is because that is where the children are. The public school system, particularly in rural areas is very, very poor and so if they are able, Hindu parents send their children to these parochial schools to get a level of education that they could never receive otherwise.
Linda Summer’s February 24 Report from India
NOTE: The following is a report that was written across the last three days. By the time you read this, pray and rejoice, we will be on our way to a new city. Keep praying!
DEAREST FRIENDS,
These are amazing days that we are experiencing in Tirupattur. I don’t want you to miss a single bit of all the incredible things that God is doing in this place. Your prayers have enabled us to stand in the darkest place. This city and the surrounding country side are full of idols.
Everywhere we go, people stare at us as we are also the only foreigners in a large city. There are over a 100 schools here and a 100 more in the surrounding countryside. We are constantly reminded that our God has placed us here to be a sweet witness for Him. Since we are always watched, we have more opportunities. People are curious.
As I read Psalm 96 tonight, I was especially drawn to verses 4 and 5. “For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens.” Truly, we are seeing the false gods of this place shamed by the power of the one true God.
You will absolutely love what you are about to read. Right across 3 days, we shared in 10 schools and 2 villages. Over 9,000 children, teenagers and adults heard how they could put their trust in Jesus in a Hindu stronghold. God blessed your prayers. Through your faithfulness, God opened doors and called children to faith.
570 BOYS
Our adventure began at a Catholic school where we shared with an all-boy audience. They sat spellbound, listening to every part of the program. I could hear soft whispers as some boys prayed, calling on Jesus. Afterwards, many boys thanked us for coming. Most were from Hindu families.
THREE BELIEVERS
At a village school, three of the staff loved Jesus. The children were very poor and had never seen a puppet or anything we had with us. They were very sweet children. We had to tell them that nothing we had would hurt them because everything and everyone was strange to them. Since this was a Hindu public school, we were not allowed to pray with the children, but we could explain to them how they could ask Jesus to be their Savior. Don’t you love what God does!
SIVASAKTHI, RAJENDREN, PONNARARSAM, AND VENKATESAM
These are the names of some of the 1,200 boys and girls that we shared with in an afternoon show at a Hindu public school. All of the teachers came and listened as well. Again, we could not pray with them, but we could explain the Gospel message completely to the children. So many children crowded around us to get an autograph or just shake our hands, many kept saying “Thank you, thank you!”. I saw in their eyes that they listened with their hearts.
THE VILLAGE
A street show in a village moved all of us to tears. Everyone came. We set up in front of a Hindu temple with a statue of a false god beside us. Isn’t it fantastic that God opened this door!
Though we were clearly in a Hindu village, everyone was hungry to hear about Jesus Christ. When we finished, no-one wanted to leave. For a very long time they remained, asking us to pray for them. People came with all kinds of needs. You see spiritual problems in developing nations that are less talked about in the West. A lady came to me who was demon-possessed and wanted to be delivered. She had a Hindu temple blessing mark on her forehead and I explained to her that God could remove the demons from her. However, I explained if she did not put her trust in Jesus, she had no protection.
These people are very poor. Three families sacrificially pooled their resources to offer us hospitality. They served us some boiled sweet potatoes, cookies, coffee and soft drinks. They did not eat. We sat in the only chairs on a dirt floor. How can you express enough gratitude to such dear people! Please pray for them.
SO MANY CHILDREN
At a Catholic school, I walked to the back of the crowd while Sam was juggling on the stage. There were so many children that he looked like a little speck. When we finished, the nuns were ecstatic. They said that all of us had such joy! We had many conversations with the nuns and teachers after the program, sharing with them how God had changed our hearts through faith in Jesus. Around 2,000 children and teachers listened to the Gospel. The children were mostly from Hindu families and desperately poor.
Everyone was so happy. They invited us to their convent. They treated us to homemade vegetable soup, sandwiches, special Indian sweets, tiny wreath-shaped cookies and fruit. Again, we had many more opportunities to share.
As we were leaving, two nuns called me Mother Linda and asked me to bless them. I explained that I could not bless anyone, but I offered to stop right then and pray for them. Please pray for these ladies and all the children in the school to understand God’s Word and love Jesus Christ deeply. They begged us to come again.
UNDER THE TREES
God gave us a breeze and trees for the children to sit under. Hundreds of boys prayed with enthusiasm. We shared with Hindu and Muslim children. We all feel rich as we hold in our hearts treasures no-one can take from us!
AN EXTRA SCHOOL
A Catholic Priest saw the program at another school and so another door opened. He gave us the joy of telling 900 children and teachers about Jesus Christ. When we finished, it seemed that he also had been blessed by the program. He thanked us “for travelling all over the world telling children the Good News”. Many children prayed with us at this program and our joys knows no bounds.
BOYS HIGH SCHOOL
Each program demands that we lean on Jesus and trust in His grace. However, sometimes, as when we were at this school and so exhausted, we tasted a sweeter grace. I knew that I had no more physical strength and had already made arrangements for Sam to take the village show in the evening. I knew that the Lord really wanted me to tell this last story to the boys and I knew that all my strength would have to come from Him.
The Father blessed us! We heard boys, aged 12 to 17, calling on Jesus with enthusiasm! Praise God! Afterwards, they rushed forward to thank us. We heard so many sweet comments: “Beautiful!”, “I loved the program”, “Great!”, “Beautiful songs!”. One boy said to me, “You are a very interesting character”. I think the team liked this comment best.
WITHOUT ME
Anna, Silvana and Sam are amazing! The extreme heat and unexpected wisdom on my part dictated that I rest and not go to the village. The place they went is a BJP village. This is the radical Hindu party that so strongly opposes Christians. Still, surrounded by a complex of Hindu temples, they set up the stage and shared the Gospel. I know that Sam told a fantastic story! Everyone paid attention. Please pray for God to reveal Himself to them.
NOTE:
Wednesday, we shared at three more schools that finished our time at this place. These are part of the ten schools mentioned earlier. We will send you the report as soon as we can. Keep praying!
In Jesus,
Linda for
Silvana
Sam
Anna
Livingston
———————————————————–
“THE AGAPE PUPPETS”
Michael Summer, Founder – Linda Summer, Director
Sam Shaw, Assistant Director
6550 West Armuchee Road
Summerville, Georgia 30747
Phone: 706-397-2956 FAX: 413-425-5805
Email: Linda@TheAgapePuppets.org
What About Those Who Haven’t Heard? An Exposition of Romans 10
During his 30-year career, the Apostle Paul personally carried the gospel to some of the most important and populous cities along the central corridor of the Roman Empire, including Rome itself. But this work was no easy task. Paul endured incredible hardship and continually put his life on the line for the sake of the gospel, facing death time and again (2 Corinthians 11:23-28), until finally he was executed in Rome for the message he preached. History tells us that most of the other apostles met similar fates.
And through the centuries, countless others have given everything in order to get the gospel to those who haven’t heard. They were compelled by the Lord’s command (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 1:8) and the conviction that those who have not heard the gospel are eternally lost (John 3:16-18; Romans 10:8-17; Revelation 20:11-15). That this was Paul’s conviction is unmistakably clear in chapter 10 of his letter to the believers in Rome:
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:8-17 (all quotes from NKJV)
In the first several chapters of Romans, Paul makes a very tightly-argued case that both Jews and Gentiles are guilty before a holy God and rightly stand under his condemnation.
8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath,
9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;
Romans 2:8-9
9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.
Romans 3:9
He also makes it clear that salvation is equally available to both Jews and Gentiles.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
Romans 1:17
10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
11 For there is no partiality with God.
Romans 2:10-11
That there is no distinction between Jews and Gentiles with regard to salvation is what we would expect. However, as we will find, that Paul brings this up again in chapter 10 is significant in the context of the question concerning those who haven’t heard.
Despite the fact that Paul became the “apostle to the Gentiles,” he never lost his deep concern for the Jewish people who are his “countrymen according to the flesh.” This is especially evident in Romans 9-11 where he discusses the matter of Israel’s place in God’s program and also the salvation of individual Jews.
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
Romans 10:8-11
So, the answer to the question about what a Jew must do to be saved is, “confess with your mouth … and believe in your heart.”
There is not a different way of salvation for the Jews – they must hear the gospel and respond in faith or they will be lost. And it is in this context that Paul reiterates the principle of equality between Jews and Gentiles before God concerning salvation:
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Romans 10:12-13
For Jews, this is a two-edged sword. On the one side, it requires Jews to confess Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah and Lord – which for many has been an unpalatable choice for at least a couple of reasons, not the least of which is the idea of being brought together with Gentiles into one body (Eph. 2:14-16).
On the other side, it provides the hope that God has not abandoned his people and that God has provided salvation to all who will call upon him, even if they count themselves among those who previously rejected Christ as a nation.
So, it is clear what this means for the Jews – that there is no way of salvation apart from explicit faith in Christ.
What then, are the implications, if any, for Gentiles in a passage that is primarily addressing the issue of the salvation of individual Jews? In order to fully grasp the implications for Gentiles, we must look yet further into what Paul says about the Jews – because in matters of salvation, there is no difference.
At the beginning of this section concerning the Jews, Paul writes:
1 I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,
2 that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart.
3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,
4 who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises;
5 of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
Romans 9:1–5
No other ethnic or religious people group has ever had the incredible advantages enjoyed by the Jewish nation. They were God’s chosen people. They were the recipients of the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12, 15, 17), the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7) and the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 36). They were given the Law of Moses (Exodus 19ff) so that as a redeemed people they would know how they should relate to their Redeemer. God had taken up residence in their midst in the tabernacle (Exodus 40) and in the temple (1 Kings 8). They were given the prophets, priests and kings as the foundation for God’s kingdom on the earth. And it was through Israel that the Savior came into the world (Luke 2).
Not only had the first century Jews received a tremendous amount of “light,” for the most part they fervently believed what they had received and zealously lived accordingly. This is not to suggest that most of those Jews were believers nor to ignore the fact that the spirit of the law had been perverted and lost through the vain traditions of men. However, in practical terms, the Jews of Paul’s day lacked only one thing – knowledge of the gospel. And this is precisely why Paul was willing to give his all to get the gospel to them – for without knowledge of the gospel they would perish. It is in this context that Paul posed the following rhetorical questions:
(1) How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?
(2) And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?
(3) And how shall they hear without a preacher?
(4) And how shall they preach unless they are sent?
Romans 10:14-15a
Rhetorical questions anticipate only one response and that answer is obvious from the context and they way the question is framed. Another way of looking at it is that rhetorical questions are simply statements framed as questions. That being the case, what answer is each of these questions anticipating?
(1) “They can’t.”
(2) “They can’t.”
(3) “They can’t.”
(4) “They can’t.”
Therefore, if Jews can be saved only by calling upon the name of Christ, how can they be saved apart from hearing the gospel? Answer: They can’t.
With this in mind, the significance of Romans 10:12 becomes apparent:
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
The application is thus two-fold:
1) Even with all the advantages they have had throughout history, including a super-abundant amount of “light,” Jews cannot be saved apart from explicitly hearing the gospel and trusting in Christ.
2) Given that even Jews with all their advantages can’t be saved apart from hearing the gospel and given that there is no distinction between Jews and Gentiles when it comes to salvation, how much less would it be possible for a Gentile to be saved apart hearing the gospel?
Even though an increasing number of “evangelicals” are beginning to advocate or at least entertain the idea that salvation may be possible apart from hearing the gospel, such views are completely foreign to Paul’s thinking – and foreign to the overall tenor of the New Testament in general.
We should be motivated by the Lord’s command to go into all the world and preach the gospel, as well as the personal conviction that those who haven’t heard the gospel must hear to have any hope of salvation. For us it might be little more than a theological debate. But for those who haven’t heard it is a matter of eternal significance.
Those who haven’t heard – in the Amazon
As an introduction to the second survey in this series, I presented a hypothetical situation of an Indian village and a young girl named Ayanna. However, this blog is about a present, real-life situation deep in the Amazon jungle.
Yesterday, my dad forwarded an email update from a missionary that very directly touches on the question, “What about those who haven’t heard?” And because of its timeliness and relevance to the issue, I have decided to post it (below) before addressing this question in light of Romans 10 in the next few days.
Michael Guerink , is a missionary in the Amazon river basin with ABWE. He and his family are giving everything to reach “a large concentration of completely uncontacted Indian tribes and others who have been minimally contacted” in an area that is “entirely off-limits to outsiders.”
The ABI surveys showed that roughly 25% of the respondents were not persuaded that those who haven’t heard the gospel are certainly lost. If they are correct, this means that there is really no need for the Guerinks or any of the other missionaries to be there, except for humanitarian purposes (which is certainly no small thing itself). In fact, if someone can be saved apart from explicitly trusting in Christ, then these missionaries are doing far more harm than good.
Almost everyone sincerely embraces the religious beliefs of their parents – and by far, most people are relatively good when judged by the norms of their society. However, we also know from the Bible and from experience, that a very small percentage of those who do hear the gospel accept it as true – and even fewer actually receive Christ as Savior. The vast majority of those who hear the gospel, reject it – and virtually everyone except the most liberal among us would suggest that someone can consciously reject Christ and still be saved. So, in very practical terms, if the possibility of salvation exists apart from Christ, then given the percentages, it would be far better to make every effort to make sure that these unreached peoples never hear the gospel.
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Michael Guerink’s February Email Update
So, yesterday (Sunday) I stumbled about our hosts’ house at oh dark thirty again, thankfully unmolested by water creatures (see funny story at the end), to read in Proverbs 31:
Raise your voice in favor of those who cannot defend themselves;
Be the defender of all the helpless.
Lift up your voice and judge with justice;
Defend the rights of the poor and the needy.
(my translation from Portuguese)
It just so happened that I was on my way to a meeting to do exactly that. One of the river valleys here in the Amazon is home to a large concentration of completely uncontacted Indian tribes and others who have been minimally contacted, and that river is entirely off limits to outsiders; even anthropologists and researchers have a very hard time getting in there.
The problem is that hundreds of Indians from that river are dying from malaria and hepatitis. Tribes are being absolutely decimated. Five tribes sent representatives out to the border and on Sunday several mission organizations met with them to hear first-hand about the problem (hardly anyone knows about these many deaths – it is kept very quiet). Unfortunately, for whatever reason, (let me word this carefully) government organizations have not succeeded in getting them the health care they need to prevent these deaths.
The tribes know that we mission organizations are ready and willing to go in and help them, and they want to know why we’re not allowed. What was accomplished Sunday was an official invitation from the tribes to us as missionaries and humanitarian aid organizations to enter their territory! This is a huge, very important step! It does not mean the government will now automatically let us in there, but it’s the first thing that needs to happen towards that goal. This is the best news on that front in a long time.
Raul, the Mayoruna tribe chief who called the meeting, was specifically asking that aviation support be restarted in that area. I told him we’re trying as hard as we can as quickly as funds come in to provide the help needed to keep his people from dying. See his picture attached to this email, and pray for him when you look at it. He lives 8-9 days away by canoe, a very difficult journey. An airplane would reduce medical emergency evacuation time to a matter of hours.
Raul said in the meeting that he does not know God but he suspects God has forgotten about the Mayoruna and other tribes in that area, and he’s wondering if God thinks enough about them to care for their health in the same way he cares about white people. Wow!! Doesn’t that just make you want to go in there RIGHT NOW?! Especially when solutions for water purification to prevent hepatitis are easily obtainable (www.waterfortheworld.com) and lists of doctors are waiting for the chance to be flown in there to help with malaria treatment. One thing that’s lacking is an airplane and the funds to run it.
As you know we’re ramping up to meet that need and to do it in a much more economical way than is presently available (our current mission airplane costs about US$250 per hour just in fuel, so $1,000 doesn’t even buy us a round trip in to the Mayoruna!). The first step is the ultralight that we just had to send back to the USA ($$$!!) due to customs problems. It hurt to do it, but I had to tell Raul that it’s realistically still going to be several years before we can get medical flights going in there even if the authorities do give permission soon.
You can help Raul’s Mayoruna tribe, the Matis, Marubo, Korubo and other as yet uncontacted tribes by praying that this crack in the door would widen significantly, that the funding would come in, that bureaucratic red tape and political opposition would be overcome. This struggle REALLY is not against flesh and blood! Pray that our adversary would be defeated as we work to defend the rights of the helpless, as we work to meet their physical health needs which as you can see above is a VERY important first step toward being able to enter with spiritual life and health. (emphasis mine)
OK, here’s the funny story I promised – at least it’s funny later: ever get impaled by a fish in your house?
While I’m galavanting with two of the kids in the Upper Amazon teaching seminary to minimally contacted Indian tribe members who aren’t allowed to have the Word of God taught in their villages (the Iron Curtain fell – maybe it’s the Jungle Wall or something like that) and Katrina is covering the home front downriver in Manaus, Ian and Vivi and I are staying at another missionary family’s house literally about a 30yd swim across the creek from Peru. They have cats. I know some of you just cringed, but really I don’t usually have a problem with the cats – it’s what they hunt and bring in the house that I have to subsequently dispose of that’s usually the dealbreaker.
The eastern horizon here usually starts to turn from black to gray around 6:15am, so I’ve been stumbling around in the dark substantially before that to be able to get some quality time with the LORD before the rest of life can build too much momentum.
A couple days ago as I was blindly walking my normal track from the bedroom to the coffeepot, a stabbing pain shot into my foot! I hobbled over to a light switch feeling something dangling and painfully swinging right from the tender, ticklish part. There’s a kind of fish here in the Amazon that has a big spike sticking out either side of its head and another one straight out the top. And that’s what the cat had dragged in.
As much pain as I was in pulling a fish out of my foot, the fish was still alive, very wriggledy and loudly complaining – yes, some fish here squeal and growl at you. And all the time the cat was looking on with pride, wondering if I was happy with his special present. So starts another day in the Amazon.
Oh, one more thing – very exciting! At this meeting with the tribal chiefs from the restricted area I sat next to a very non-Ticuna looking Colombian lady. It was a huge surprise to hear her ask another lady for water in quite passable Ticuna! I asked in my not-quite-passable Spanish (Portunhol as we call it here) how she learned Ticuna. Turns out she (Danilba) and her husband Jhon and little 4-year-old Sara-Sofia are Colombian New Tribes missionaries to the Ticuna and are in the middle of language training. I thought we were the only ones! Pray for them! They don’t have electricity or potable water. I’d love to get them set up with at least a water purification system run by a solar panel. That’s about a US$2,000 project. It would also provide clean water for their entire community (emphasis mine), Guanabara 3, about an hour canoe-ride downriver from where we will be living to learn Ticuna. It will be so nice to have neighbors going through the same things for love of God and the Ticuna! In about a month we’ll be back in this area; we’ll visit them and let you know how you can help.
Michael
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Perhaps some of our readers would be interested in being part of the Guerink’s ministry in meeting the physical and spiritual needs of these unreached people.
And I hope that you will continue to follow this important blog series.
Life + 150 years
I recently became an adjunct professor for Grace College, teaching part-time in their Associates Degree program in the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in Carlisle, Indiana. There are currently 17 men studying Old Testament Survey and 22 in Systematic Theology. This is an amazing ministry opportunity for me personally and fits well with the goals of ABI in making the Word of God accessible to this generation of believers and preparing the next for leadership. From time to time I will be blogging about some of my experiences and observations related to my prison ministry.
______________________
Between classes on Monday evening, a young man (Cole), an offender, came into the room to ask about the possibility of me mentoring him in preparation for the ministry. He said that in 16 years he would like to be doing what I am doing – teaching the Bible at the college level.
I would have guessed him to be in his late twenties and seemed like the nicest guy you would ever meet. He looked sharp (as much as you can in prison garb), was obviously intelligent and could have been a student at any Bible college or seminary. He already has his associates degree through the Grace College program at the prison and is ministering there as much as he can. One of his ministries is teaching Bible Study Methods, using Howard Hendricks’ book in Sunday School.
So, we talked about how it might work out for me to mentor him and in the course of the conversation, he mentioned that he had been in for 14 years – which sort of floored me, given how young he looked. Then I asked him how much longer he has left before he gets out – and then he said that his sentence is for – are you ready for this? – life + 150 years. I was stunned – and still am.
It hit me hard that given the direction of my life 25 years ago, how easily it would have been for me to have made just a couple of worse choices than I was already making that could have put me in the same situation. I don’t yet know what he did – but I do know that all it takes is being in the wrong place, with the wrong crowd, doing something stupid because you’re drunk – and in a moment you have destroyed your life.
It is only by God’s unfathomable grace that he reached down and caught me before I fell harder and deeper than I had already. There’s no real reason why Cole and I shouldn’t be in a reverse situation.
I don’t know what will happen to Cole, as he did mention “16 years” – so maybe there is still a chance for parole. By then he will probably be 50.
And I don’t know the story of any of the 39 men I have in my two classes. Some of them have already been in so long that they have never seen or heard of some of the technology I’m using in class like the laptop and projector or the PowerPoint and Bible study software. Since this is a both a medium and maximum security facility, it could be that some of them will never leave.
Please pray for Cole, the men in my classes and for me in my ministry to them. Also pray that our ministry in our church and through ABI will make a difference in this generation – to reach people with the gospel and disciple them in the truth of the Word of God – and that somewhere along the way, we will make a difference in a young person’s life to keep them from the kinds of decisions that will ruin their lives.